AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re fighting?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Nope. Vincent feels he does everything and I don’t do enough, though he wouldn’t dream of opening his wallet to pay for the five-star resort he insisted on placing mom in. They visit every other Sunday and I visit when I can, and that sums up our normal relationship. He’s perfect, and I’m a shit.” He swallowed.
I grimaced. “I don’t believe that’s true. Is there another place you want her to be?”
He ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “It’s not about the money. It’s his attitude and the expectation that goes along with it. He acts as if I owe him. He’s like my father—nothing was ever enough for them.”
I pursed my lips. “I’m sorry, Jonas, but he’s wrong. If he treats you like that, you don’t deserve it, not with all the hard work you do for your family, staff, and companies. You’re not selfish.”
“I’m not perfect, Lily,” Jonas said. “I feel better, though, so thank you.” He moved over and pressed his lips against my forehead. “Dani mentioned she hugged you recently and it warmed her heart so much that she cried all the way back home.”
A tightness formed in my chest. She had cried for what happened to me. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that, though, so I just dropped my head and nodded.
“I told you about Dani to let you know that talking to you warms me too. I feel better, just being with you,” Jonas said, as if he had to offer me an explanation. “I need one of your hugs right now, too.”
I allowed him to position me across his lap, and wrap his arms around me. I closed my eyes and inhaled, taking in his scent, which I found intoxicating and comforting. Whatever we were to each other at the moment didn’t matter. We took comfort in each other’s arms the rest of the short drive to Newark Airport.
CHAPTER NINE
‡
The thirty-minute flightgot us to Hartford just before noon. During the short wait to board the plane, I texted Mary and informed her of my detour, which would actually be getting me to her sooner than I had originally promised. I also provided added assurance that I had brought my laptop and would be poised and ready to start a marathon session of studies once I arrived in Boston.
Jonas had arranged a car, which David went to collect once we arrived at the airport. We rode silently up the long stretch of highway toward Windsor, Connecticut and turned off into one of the suburban upscale neighborhoods before driving through a stone and iron gate marked Henning Estates. As I took in the surroundings, I thought Jonas hadn’t exaggerated when he said the nursing home appeared more like a resort. Although it was covered in snow, even that looked manicured. Everything was perfectly in its place, from the gazebos to the low bridge streams.
We parked in front of what I would consider a brick and stone mansion, boasting Doric columns with marble footings. A ramp rose conservatively along the side, well blended in along the long porch, which was partially insulated where a few people were seated. They appeared to be listening to a woman in a uniform read aloud to them. Jonas opened the door, and a little chime went off announcing our entrance.
The inside was befitting the exterior; upscale décor with crystal chandeliers, and toned floral patterned plush seating. There was a large fireplace and a grand piano in the living area. Amidst the affluence was some cleverly placed signage as well as a nurse’s station. The pungent scent of disinfectant cleaners made it clear this may be a home to some, but it was also a business. A few residents were seated, their eyes fixed on us as we stood there. One middle-aged female in uniform came from behind the nurse’s station and approached us with an open smile.
“I’m Brenda. Family Relations Manager. May I help you?” Her smile deepened in recognition. “Sorry, Mr. Crane. Your mother Joselyn should be back from the Crane Institute by now. If you don’t mind waiting a minute, I’ll go check and escort you up to her suite.”
Jonas nodded, and she rushed off.
I touched his arm. “I could wait for you down here if you would prefer to see your mother alone.”
His eyes clouded over. “That won’t be necessary. This won’t take long.”
I frowned, and was about to ask him what he meant, when Brenda came back. “She’s available, and we can use an office there for the papers I need you to sign, as we discussed. If you’d follow me.”
“How is she?” he asked, as we walked over to a wall that turned out to be a well-hidden elevator.
Brenda pressed the top floor then glanced at me. Jonas simply nodded.
“She’s doing fine,” Brenda said. “Blood pressure is under control. We will continue to monitor her adjustment to the new medication. Otherwise, everything is pretty much the same.”
“That’s good,” Jonas muttered.
The doors opened and we all climbed out. Brenda waved a pass and we entered a plush, neutrally toned suite.
“Would you like to go over the paperwork? I can have Miss….” Her eyes turned to me.
“Lily,” Jonas said. “Apologies to the both of you. Yes, Brenda, we can go over the paperwork now. Lily can… meet Joselyn. I’ll join her once we’re done.”
Brenda nodded slowly, then held out her arm for me to follow her. I noticed similar décor to the downstairs, with a few personal photos thrown in. I immediately recognized Jonas and Mathias, as they were very much in the public eye. Dani and Paul were represented as well. My eyes stopped on a shorter man who appeared in a few photos. He had reddish-blonde locks and large brown eyes that stared out of some of the pictures with a young, handsome Jonas. Vincent? I pondered.
I didn’t have long as Brenda motioned for me to take a seat in one of the loveseats before a flat screen television. I inhaled the aroma of Chanel No. 5 fused with the velvety soft fabric. The smell, along with the beautiful bouquets of lilies, tactfully hid the sanitized scent. I stared at the lilies for a moment in admiration.
“Aren’t they beautiful?” Brenda asked. “Jonas has them delivered every few days. Joselyn loves lilies. They were her wedding flower. Well, her first wedding,” she added the last words in a hushed tone. “Mr. Crane definitely spoils her. Everything and anything she can remember, he gets for her. And we put it all around her room. You know, to trigger her memory. But there is no cure.”
